A film by Jasmila Žbanić QUO VADIS, AIDA? Bosnia-Herzegovina, Austria, Romania, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, France, Norway, Turkey

103 Min. Bosnian, English, Dutch Flat (1:85), 5.1 sound

INTERNATIONAL SALES Indie Sales Nicolas Eschbach QUO VADIS, [email protected] Florencia Gil [email protected] Simon Gabriele AIDA? [email protected] Grbavica – Golden Bear INTERNATIONAL PRESS Magali Montet Berlinale [email protected] A film by Jasmila Žbanić 2006 +33 6 71 63 36 16

2 3 Screenings Schedule

VENICE FILM FESTIVAL

PRESS & INDUSTRY

THU. 3, 8:30 AM @ SALA DARSENA THU. 3, 11 AM @ SALA GRANDE

PUBLIC

THU. 3, 4:30 PM @ SALA GRANDE (Gala screening) THU. 3, 6:30 PM @ ROSSINI 1 and IMG CANDIANI 1 THU. 3, 8:30 PM @ ARENA LIDO and ARENA GIARDINI FRI. 4, 8:30 AM @ PALABIENNALE FRI. 4, 9:30 AM @ ROSSINI 1 and IMG CANDIANI FRI. 4, 8:30 AM @ SALA PASINETTI 11:30 AM 7:00 PM 10:00 PM FRI. 4, 7:45 PM @ SALA PERLA 2

TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

PRESS & INDUSTRY

SAT. 12, 11 AM @ TIFF DIGITAL CINEMA PRO

PUBLIC

SUN. 13, 4:30 PM @ TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX CINEMA 4 MON. 14, 6 PM @ BELL DIGITAL CINEMA SAT. 19, 12 PM @ TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX CINEMA 1

4 5 Synopsis Bosnia, July 11th 1995. the UN camp. As an insider to the negotiations Aida has ac- Aida is a trans- cess to crucial information that lator for the United Nations in she needs to interpret. What the small town of Srebreni- is at the horizon for her family ca. When the Serbian army and people - rescue or death? takes over the town, her fam- Which move should she take? ily is among the thousands of citizens looking for shelter in 6 7 Cast Jasna Đuričić, Izudin Bajrović, Boris Ler, Dino Bajrović, Boris Isaković

Writer Jasmila Žbanić Producers Damir Ibrahimović, Jasmila Žbanić Languages Bosnian, English, Dutch Producers Deblokada (Bosnia) Co-producers & partners Coop99 Filmproduktion (Austria), Digital Cube (Romania), N279 (Netherlands), Razor Film (Germany), Extreme Emotions (Poland), Indie Prod (France), Torden Film (Norway), TRT (Turkey), ZDF ARTE (Germany)

8 9 Born in Sarajevo in 1974, Jasmila is a graduate of her na- tive city’s Academy of Dramatic Arts, Theatre and Film Di- recting Department. Before filmmaking, she also worked Jasmila Žbanić as a puppeteer in the Vermont-based Bread and Puppet Theater and as a clown in a Lee Delong workshop.

Her feature debut GRBAVICA won the 2006 Berlinale Screenwriter Golden Bear (as well as the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury and the Peace Prize), the AFI (American Film Institute) Fest Grand Jury Prize, Grand Prix Odyssey of the Europe- and director an Council and was sold to 40 territories with great suc- cess. Nomination Best film and Best acress European Film Award.

ON THE PATH, Jasmila’s second feature film, premiered at the 2010 Berlinale, in the Competition section. The film had worldwide distribution on 25 territories and won numerous awards including Filmkunstfestival Schwer- in Award for Best Director, Golden Apricot IFF Yerevan – FIPRESCI Prize, Pula Film Festival 2010 – Golden Arena for Best Director, Nomination – European Film Award for Best Actress.

Jasmila’s third feature, FOR THOSE WHO CAN TELL NO TALES, made its world premiere at the Toronto Film Fes- tival and won the 2013 Femme de Cinema Award at Les Arcs European Film Festival. LOVE ISLAND premiered at Locarno film festival Grand Palace and was screened at TV ARTE for more then half a million viewers. ONE DAY IN SARAJEVO experimental documentary had an inter- national premiere at DOC LEIPZIG DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL and 30 more festivals world-vide.

All her films were produced through Deblokada, an artists’ association that she founded.

Jasmila’s films and video works have been displayed at dozens of art exhibitions worldwide such as Manifesta 3, the Istanbul Biennial, Kunsthalle Fridericianum Kassel, Swedish Contemporary Art Foundation, New Museum in New York...

She is the recipient of the 2014 KAIROS Prize which honors European artists whose work is judged to have a major cul- tural and social impact.

10 11 Interview Jasmila Žbanić

Tell us about this particular story and what it The sense of security, the trust in insti- was destroyed connections to other coun- it because we were driven by the need to tell has meant for you in your life. Where were you tutions like the UN, was lost and thousands of tries became limited - we were left in a film this story because we believe it is a story not in 1995, how old were you, and has this been a people died-many more mourned for them. production desert. So, production wise and only about Bosnia or the Balkans but about passion of yours to tell this story on film? Personally, Srebrenica is very close to because of the standards we set for this film human beings, how we behave towards each me because I survived the war in Sarajevo it was a big challenge. other when we are unleashed from morality, Jasmila The systematic execution which was also under siege and we could After the war and the internal division when we destroy every human form. of over 8,000 residents of the east Bosnian have easily ended up as Srebrenica did. I of Bosnia, Srebrenica remained in the part town of Srebrenica at the end of the Bosnian always thought someone must make a film of the country run by Bosnian Serbs. Our How did it start to emerge in your head that you war (1992-95) is a huge trauma for all about what happened there, but I never government has many right-wing politicians would try to make a film about Srebrenica? Bosnians. thought it should be me. Yet the story always who are still denying that the genocide in During the war Srebrenica was de- haunted me. I read everything I could about Srebrenica happened. They celebrate war Jasmila I was reading a lot, listen- clared a UN safe zone for civilians and cit- Srebrenica and only after four films did I feel criminals as heroes denying the Hague In- ing to many women and their stories about izens. However, when Bosnian Serb forces ready to do this one – knowing there would ternational Criminal Court’s decision that their sons, husbands, brothers, fathers who overran the town in July 1995, the outgunned be many obstacles. what happened in Srebrenica constitutes a were abandoned by the UN and captured by UN troops who requested help from the UN genocide. Thus, another enormous obstacle the Bosnian Serb army. These stories which in New York were totally let down together What were the obstacles? was politics. were every day in the media deeply affected with the population. Yet on the other hand many people me emotionally. Today, 25 years later, 1700 Srebrenica is a 40 minute flight from Jasmila Bosnia is a country that pro- did want this film to be born and were really people are still missing. The story of Srebren- Vienna, less than two hours from Berlin and duces only one film per year. We have almost supportive. Many Bosnians helped. Also we ica is a drama that completely consumed it is scary to think that such an act of geno- no industry and our Film Fund is very small. have 9 European countries who are co-pro- me as a filmmaker. cide happened directly in front of European We received only 5% of the budget from the ducers, who wanted this story to be told. eyes - after we all repeated a million times Film Fund. Bosnia used to be part of a big- Damir Ibrahimovic, our main produc- over “Never again”. ger story with Yugoslavia and its strong film er, made so many brave and risky choices. It industry but after the war where everything took us years to make this film. But we made

12 13 How did you deal with dramaturgy – it is a Tell us about the character of Aida. fiction film based on true events? Jasmila Her character is between Jasmila I had felt a huge responsibil- two worlds: she is Bosnian, her family is in ity in how I chose to tell these events. Some- the same situation as thirty thousand other times it felt as if I was walking in a minefield. I residents of Srebrenica, yet she works for the was committed to creating a film that would UN making her position ambiguous. She be- enable people to understand these 100 min- lieves in the UN. She believes a UN base is utes, to understand the story while at the the safe place for her family and that she has same time remaining truthful to the emo- certain privileges because she works for the tions, characters and facts. I was aware that UN. The film is her journey when everything it was not possible to tell every aspect of this falls apart. complicated historical situation story. I had to make choices. Obviously, there’s so much in the film that I had to fictionalize many things because shows your creative skills, it’s an incredibly film has its own rules. For example, in reality tense film to watch. But let’s look at the cast- a lot of her theatre performances and oth- You had great ensemble of actors. Tell us about Dutch UN commander Karremans had several ing first: the performance of your actress. Did er films. She has profound acting skills and them. meetings negotiating the town’s destiny with you target her early on? And how did you work incredible energy. She is truthful, precise, al- Bosnian Serb general Mladic in Hotel Fontana. together? ways expecting the best and totally trusting Jasmila All the actors are diamonds There are video clips of these meetings availa- the director, a joy to work with. Our cooper- for me: Izudin Bajrović (Nihad), Dino Barjović ble on the internet. Yet it didn’t work in the film Jasmila When the script was ready ation felt so natural. After reading rehearsals, (Sejo, who is also the real son of Izudin) and to have several scenes, so I decided to make it to be shared with the team, I started talking where we discussed every situation, and did Boris Ler (Hamdija). Izudin brings the energy into one scene. I had to dramatize certain ele- about actors with producer Damir Ibrahi- a lot of improvisations. For example, the his- of a Bosnian man who is at the same time ments, invent characters. movic, and we immediately said “It’s Jas- tory of the family: how she met her husband, naive, intelligent and good-hearted but gets A very valuable book for me was UN- na, we don’t have to search any further”. I how they got married, how their kids went many things wrong. DER THE UN FLAG by Hasan Nuhanovic worked with Jasna Djuric in my film “For to school… everything before the moment the Emir Hadžihafizbegović (Special Or- whose story inspired the film. those who can tell no tales’’. I have also seen film begins. We rehearsed in the apartment rizonti Award for Best Actor at Venice 71). where we later shot the film. Nothing of this When we were shooting the scene where was in the script or in the film but it was im- he, as a Serbian soldier, entered the base full portant for the actors and I to feel the past of refugees, his acting felt so real that two and to bring this backstory in the film even if female extras fainted. These women were it is invisible. kids during the Bosnian war and his acting Then we rehearsed the entire film in triggered old traumas. It was very emotional continuity in actual locations. This was cru- for Emir and all actors to play these roles. cial as our crazy shooting schedule which The Dutch actors were also great to had to adapt to the actors’ availability was work with, I loved them so much especially totally out of continuity. Our actors are from Raymond Thierry who found his Franken in a all over: Netherlands, Belgium, Serbia, Po- way that allowed the audience one moment land, Romania, Croatia, Bosnia- adjusting to understand him and the other moment to their timetable was a nightmare. So, go- you want to die because he is not doing an- ing through the film in continuity allowed the ything. I must also mention Johan Helden- actors to memorize the energy, the level of bergh, the Belgium actor who plays Karre- emotions, the rhythm for each scene. At that mans, who created amazing different layers stage DOP Christine Maier and I designed of the complicated position of his character. each shot. As for Mladic the main question was: how to portray him since he is still alive? Everybody knows what Mladic looks like. Not many people know what Karremans looks

14 15 Nations are not important for films and there, but we had to modify the look of it ac- should not be important in life either. cording to the feeling we wanted the space to convey. This location needed to be Nowhere, Do we assume now that Mladic was always we needed a big field where people could going to kill the men? Were these negotiations stand, and a road which led them to life or just a performance? death. Surprisingly it was very hard to find a convenient place to shoot in Bosnia, despite Jasmila In 1991, the leader of Bos- the fact that there are so many abandoned nian Serbs Radovan Karadzic (sentenced factories there. We found the perfect location to life in prison for war crimes) said in Par- an old concentration camp during the war, liament that if Bosnia does not stay in Yu- so we couldn’t use it. We shot it in the build- goslavia Muslims will disappear in the hell ing next to it. Many locations were places of of war because they cannot defend them- violence, even schools. selves. There is footage of this statement on Some of our extras were actually for- YouTube. Thus, began the genocide proven mer prisoners. Discovering this was a very in the cases of Karadzic, Mladic and others. strange. We were shooting a scene where Every small town on the border of Bosnia men are forced to climb on a truck, so we with Serbia had 3000, 4000 citizens bru- told extras how to do it. One man respond- tally killed in May 1992. What happened was ed:” That is not the way they took us”. I did obviously planned. not understand at the beginning. He contin- ued, “I was here, in this camp for 12 months What about the UN. They were in a really tough and this is not how soldiers gave us orders”. position, since nobody supported them. How This man explained what actually happened do you want them to be perceived? and we filmed it according to his instructions. That is how I found out that many people of Jasmila This film is not against the our 400 extras were actually former prison- institution and ideas that the UN stands for. ers of the Heliodrom camp. On the contrary, my film warns us that we The interiors were in Stolac ; the exteri- must improve and support our institutions. ors in Mostar 40 minutes away. We shot first The UN was blocked politically by certain the interiors and then the exteriors which is world politicians. To abandon Srebrenica pretty complicated. We shot the exterior in was primarily a political decision. Everything June and July in 40 degree heat; Everyday possible was done to tie the hands of the we had about 10 emergency interventions, UN. But that does not exonerate the Dutch. people fainting from the heat. I fainted only They had a lot of prejudices toward Bosnians once (laughing). Muslims, as well as a quite colonial view of people in general. Florence Hartmann ex- How did you create the incredible sense of ten- like. We explored different methods – not to ris found an original and powerful approach plains this in her book “The blood of Real- sion throughout the film? show him, to film him only from behind but that is so truthful to this story. politik”. I recommend this book because it is we did not want to make a mysterious fig- not only about Srebrenica but about how the Jasmila While writing the script I ure out of him. He is a human being, yes, he Is it significant that some actors who are Ser- political system functions. If Srebrenica hap- wanted to have a thriller element, to have this is a war criminal but not a mythical figure, bian played roles of Bosnian Muslims and the pened now in 2020 it would have the same big flow of energy of Aida’s attempts to res- he is flesh and blood. We wondered which other way around? outcome! The EU would not move a finger! cue her family. During the editing I worked actor can deliver his inner energy, who can This terrifies me. with the wonderful editor Jaroslaw Kaminski embody this personality. And we choose the Jasmila No, I don’t care about na- (Ida, Cold War), our main concern was that amazing Boris Isakovic. He has an incredi- tionality; I choose the best actors. We all Where did you film the UN base? Srebrenica is not so known and it is important ble acting range and energy. There is a lot speak the same language and have a com- that the audience understands the premise. of video footage of Mladić available, but Bo- mon history and culture; we look the same. Jasmila We built it. The hall was When one makes a film about the Hol-

16 17 ocaust one can count on the fact that peo- lot of consequences on our lives. But this is ple know a lot about it, so there is no need my first war film with tanks, guns, soldiers… to explain. But with Srebrenica’s genocide it is As a feminist I see a war as a male game. not like that. For example, we did a test with Virginia Woolf put it nicely: “War is a man’s Jarek’s students from the editing department game ... the killing machine has a gender and in Lodz film school who are in their 20s. Five it is male”. I believe every war is just a plat- of them had heard of Srebrenica but did not form for sociopaths and psychopaths. While know what exactly happened and ten of them we are talking right now, some people are never even heard of it. I think this is the situa- getting very rich from wars. Actually, a few tion with most of Europe not to mention other get rich and millions suffer. parts of the world. This film shows the patriarchal and bu- The film must function for people who reaucratic structure of war. Responsibility is don’t know it’s history. always with the authority somewhere else. It shows the woman in the labyrinth of this This film is not a historical documentary where system and consequences. For me, war is is the heart of your story? this: a women laying down, shot in the back, while solders loot her home. Jasmila Aida’s drama and her emo- Narratives of wars are usually wrapped tions are the heart of this story. I want peo- in decorations of freedom, democracy and ple to take away the feelings and questions justice so we don’t notice the truth behind the film raises. If Dutch soldiers had more the narrative nor its inherent banality. We empathy, would this tragedy have had such need narratives which show us what is hid- a terrible outcome? Even if institutions and den, to show stories from other perspectives. governments let us down, we still have free- dom to feel for others and help others. We are constantly led by feelings of selfishness – capitalism needs selfishness to survive, but it is leading our Earth and all of us to- wards disaster. I would love for people to connect to the story of Srebrenica with their own lives and question who would be there for them in difficult times. How many things would have been different if we had more solidarity? Also, there is a question of the trauma we transfer to our children: both children of perpetrators and children of victims. There is a huge amount of energy that perpetrators invest in denial creating a massive burden for the next generations.

Some of your films are about the war others aren’t. How does this film sit with the rest of your work?

Jasmila Most of my films are af- ter-war films, stories of life today affected by the past. This war that we survived still has

18 19 20 21 Filmography/Videography

AIRBORNE [2019], documentary film, screenplay and directed by Jasmila Žbanić.

ONE DAY IN SARAJEVO [2015], documentary film, produced, screenplay and directed by Jasmila Žbanić.

LOVE ISLAND [2014] – feature film, screenplay by Jasmila Žbanić and Aleksandar Hemon, directed by Jasmila Žbanić.

FOR THOSE WHO CAN TELL NO TALES [2012] - feature film, screenplay by Kym Vercoe, Jasmila Žbanić, Zoran Solomun; directed by Jasmila Žbanić

ON THE PATH [2010], feature film, screenplay and directed by Jasmila Žbanić.

PARTICIPATION [2008], short feature film, part of the “Stories of the Human Rights”, script and direction by Jasmila Žbanić.

BUILDER’S DIARY [2007], documentary film, screenplay by Boris Dežulović, directed by Jasmila Žbanić, 2007; Festivals: Diagonale Austria

GRBAVICA [2006], feature film, screenplay and directed by Jasmila Žbanić.

BIRTHDAY [2004], part of the omnibus LOST AND FOUND, documentary film, script and direction by Jasmila Žbanić.

IMAGES FROM THE CORNER [2003], documentary film, script and direction by Jasmila Žbanić.

TO AND FRO [2002], short feature film, script and direction by Jasmila Žbanić.

WE LIGHT THE NIGHT [1998], documentary film, created by Sead and Nihad Kreševljaković, Jasmila Žbanić, directed by Jasmila Žbanić.

LOVE IS... [1998], short feature film, script and direction by Jasmila Žbanić

AFTER, AFTER [1997], documentary film, script and direction by Jasmila Žbanić.

AUTOBIOGRAPHY [1996], script and direction by Jasmila Žbanić.

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